Compassionate Lullaby
by Mazarine Fennec
Summary: He was the one they never thought would gain that much respect from them, however, through a compassionate side they'd yet to see, Duo managed to do just that by something as simple as a lullaby.


1Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam wing nor any of it's affiliates, terms and conditions. I do however own the children, the situation and the little girl. The song that inspired me to write this is called "Anna Rose" by Vienna Teng. If you can, look it up, it's gorgeous.

Author's Note: Do forgive my absence, the end of the year is approaching and my teachers are giong bonkers with the school work– it sucks. I know I promised my readers a Naruto fanfiction, however, that is being put off until I have a bigger basis for the story I want to produce, which basically means, until I have the whole thing written out on paper, you won't see much of it. On the other hand, I have a GW story for you, just a small one shot, much more.. Non-death than the monster of a fic I wrote before. So I hope you're ready And of course it centers around Duo-sama Have fun Minna-san

Rated for fluffiness XD so...G I gues, or whatever has for it.

"**Compassionate Lullaby"**

They were stationed at one of America's states, well, what was left of them anyways. Une had thought that they needed to get on the good side of the world once again, and she shipped them out to one of the biggest wars the poor USA had ever been through. How does this explain what they were doing, huddled in an old school house building with at least fifty orphans? Easy, by accident. They been chased by some rebellion group from the other side and had hidden in the school. After some reconnaissance, they'd found the children in one of the school's bases, all crying, for they had just seen more than enough bloodshed and death to scare the crap out of a full grown man.

"I don't know what we're going to do with them? We're not trained in babysitting." Wufei complained as he watched a few of the children getting into a small fight. He sighed and stood, walking over to pull them apart.

"I don't think any of us were, we weren't expecting to be in this situation in the first place." Trowa replied.

"Have you gotten anything yet Heero?" Quatre asked, looking over his shoulder at Heero who was trying his damndest to work on his lap top.

"No, not at all, the brats won't shut up." he said. There was a laugh from beside him, and Duo, who'd been sleeping to rest up the strength he'd lost– considering his knee had been blasted by someone's gun– sat up.

"You just don't know how to deal with kids, that's all." he said and grit his teeth, pulling himself up in pain.

"Duo, you shouldn't move, you're leg is wounded." Quatre said, holding out his hands to help the other back down. Duo waved his hand and shook his head.

"I'll be fine Q..." he limped over towards the children.

"Hey guys, I need you to do my a big favor." he said as a bunch of them looked up at him.

"Y'see, my buddy over there needs some quiet to be able to get us all out of here, even you." he smiled at their hopeful faces. " So how about we play a game until he's done okay?" At this, the children were swarming around him, asking him what fun thing they'd be doing.

"Ok, ok, settle down.. We're gonna play duck, duck goose alright?" he said.

"What's that?" Wufei leaned down, asking heero who was watching the display with mild interest.

"Don't know." he replied.

"How do we play mister?" Duo grinned and winked at them.

"You gotta get in a circle and sit down." they immediately did as he told, clearing a few things out of the way and forming a large circle on the one side of the room, farthest from Heero's temporary work station.

"Ok, now we need someone who's 'it'... hmm, Here, I'll show ya.." he stood behind one of the boys.

"I'm going to tap your heads one by one.. Don't do it too hard, or you'll hurt a friend.. And I'm going to say Duck, duck, duck." he walked around tapping their heads. " And when I tap you and say... goose." he tapped a little blond boys head.

"You have to chase me around the circle to your spot again.. If I get there before you touch me, you're it, if you tag me first, I have to be it again." he said. They all nodded their heads and the little biy tagged him before he ran.

"You're it again!" he giggled as Duo rubbed the back of his head.

"Guess so.. Ok ready?"

And so began the four hour game of duck, duck goose, with much laughing and running, yet, Heero found it rather easy to work when one of the children weren't always at his shoulder staring down at the device before him. The boys had managed to get a hold of Une so that she could send back up and orphanage forces to retrieve the children to either look for family or to set them in protective homes. By that time, most of the children were asleep and Duo came limping back over to his friends, sore, but smiling.

"Good job Duo, you kept them occupied for four hours." Quatre said as he flopped int eh ground.

"You just... have to be able to think like a child, we always played that game when we were bored on L2." he took a deep breath and let it out. " So what now?"

"We wait, Une said it will take a while for them to be able to reach us... and where she's positioned, I give it about 14 hours..." Trowa said. Duo nodded.

"Well, most of the kids are asleep, so we won't have much to do until then." he jumped a little as he heard the distant sound of rain.

"Doesn't look like we'll be getting a break though." Wufei laughed a little.

They weren't far from the truth. It began to pour, and with the rain came thunder and lightening. Not to mention cold. The boys, having been trained to be the perfect soldiers, were able to resist the cold and the sounds. They were able to sleep, however, the children were still young, and many were scared of the lightening and the thunder. Duo sympathized with them, though he wasn't afraid of the storm, he couldn't sleep. The sounds and the banging brought painful memories of bombs and churches aflame. That's when he heard it, the tiny whimper of a child afraid and trying to sob into her arm,. He moved, and at the same time, so did Quatre. He held up a hand to the blond.

"Don't worry Quat, I got it." he whispered, pushing himself up. Quatre watched him and turned to see the bright eyes of his fellow companions. None of them budged, not wanting to disturb duo nor the children around them. They had no experience with frightened children, so they watched and they waited to see what the braided pilot would do.

The little girl looked to be about five and blond. She was very small and thin, like a waif. He felt terrible as he watched the lightening catch the tear tracks down her cheeks and to see her shiver as a larger boom resounded through the cracking walls.

"Hey" he whispered softly as she opened bright green eyes to look at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked as she wiped her eyes.

"I -sniff I'm scared of thunder storms. Mommy would let me sheep wif her.. But... but." he smiled sympathetically and moved so that he was sitting next to her. He gently pulled her into his lap and held her to him, rocking softly back and forth, letting her cry.

"Amy?" a boy asked from beside the two.

"Shhh, it's okay, I got her..." he said as the boy nodded and huddled back to the little children next to him.

"Hey now, there's no need to cry, the storm can't get you in here." he said softly.

"But it's scarey.. I can't seep." she sniffed as he bit his lip and thought. Suddenly he got a bright idea. It was a memory of something sister Helen had done when he couldn't return to the sleep state after a nightmare.

"Want me to sing you a song?" he asked. He didn't know if his voice was all that good, hell, he was a gundam pilot, they weren't programmed for music. She looked up at him.

"P-please?" she asked and he smiled down at her.

"Sure..."

He shifted her in his arms so that the two were both more comfortable, and then he began softly, almost not even a singing voice, like a smaller chant, and soon, it did sound like a soft lullaby.

**"_Anna Rose sleep well tonight_**

_**The stars are dancing on the carpet of the sky**_

_**Time to close you wondering eyes**_

_**Where I see the sleepiness creeping."**_

The boys, now fully awake, watched attentively as Duo sang to the little girl, sho had managed to get herself huddled in his Preventer jacket. Duo was blissfully unaware of this though, intent on singin to the child to help her sleep

**"_Anna Rose it makes my heart smile, _**

_**to knowyou give love so freely.**_

_**Anna Rose it makes it worthwhile**_

_**Your love makes me see things so clearly**_

_**how it grows, heaven knows**_

**_Anna Rose sleep well tonight_."**

There was shuffling from around Duo and suddenly there were a few more children clambering to get near to the man providing simple comfort to a worn out child. Duo smiled and moved his arms to give them all some room near him and the children smiled, leaning on him and placing their heads on his legs as pillows.

**"_Anna Rose it's time to dream_**

_**I see that your imagination knows no bounds**_

_**There it flows like some magical stream**_

_**And Carries you on it's journey."**_

By this time, the children's eyes were beginning to droop heavily, the soft sounds of Duo's unbelievably good voice (gundam pilots don't sing remember?) Began to lull them into sleep. Heero looked at his companions to see the same sort of shock registration on their faces. Like in the song, it was almost as if Duo was weaving some other worldly magic around the children to help them tire, it certainly was working on him. He stayed awake, however.

Wufei watched the braided idiot and was confused at first, to see such a serene look on his face, eyelashes blinking softly against pale cheeks that were probably due to his earlier loss of blood. He was holding the child so gently, like a fragile doll that would break.

Quatre was watching with a smile on his face, understanding completely the waves of strong protections and compassion seeping from Duo's aura. One could not help but feel protective of something they wanted to protect and shelter from the evil in the world. Duo, he thought, was the epitome of the very people the boys were trying to be, except, Duo need not try.

Trowa had his eyes closed, not because he didn't want to embarrass the pilot should he look up to see them, but that's not his reason. He was pretending, even for the slightest of moments, that he was there, with his own family, int eh warmth of a father's hug, a mother's voice. And in that very short moment, Trowa knew what it was like to be with a family, just from the voice of his friend.

**_"Anna Rose, it makes my heart smile_**

_**to know you give love so freely.**_

_**Anna Rose, it makes it worthwhile**_

_**Your love makes me see things so clearly**_

_**How it grows, heaven knows.**_

_**Anna Rose dream well tonight..."**_

When Duo's voice faded off, he smiled down at the children asleep around him and then to the tiny little girl in his arms. Her tiny hands were curled in his black shirt and her head rested on his chest. Her own was rising and falling in sleep and there was a tiny smile on her face. He shifted, moving her closer, and kissed her forehead, laying his on hers. He flickered his eyes towards his companions and saw their own eyes watching him, processing the scene they'd just seen. He gave them a half smile and closed his eyes to fall into a slumber himself. It was then that they realized something they wouldn't have admitted before. Each had gained a brand new respect for someone they'd never respected enough, and they fell asleep with the reassurance of that fact alone.

Zomg!! cries twas so kyooot!! I just had to, the first thing that came to my mind when I first heard the song "Anna Rose" was Duo holding a little child to him, singing her to sleep. So, thus spawned this ficclet Hope you all like, R&R minna!! Tell me how I did!


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